An anti-bleeding drug probably will stay off the market, experts say, after a rigorous study found patients getting the medication during heart surgery were much more likely to die than patients given other drugs.
Bayer, maker of Trasylol, said it is deciding what to do and is awaiting details from the Canadian study. Bayer faces dozens of lawsuits claiming Trasylol led to excess deaths and the company hid evidence of harm. Experts in Canada and the United States say the study appears to seal the drug’s fate, given that prior studies linked Trasylol to an elevated risk of death after surgery.
The latest study was the first head-to-head comparison of Trasylol, also known as aprotinin, and two other drugs that surgeons use to prevent massive blood loss during heart surgery. The findings were released Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press
